Flame-Grilled Lobster with Porcini Mushrooms and Potatoes

Step 1: Lobster

Tie the lobster tails on to a barding needle to keep them straight.

Plunge the lobsters into a pan of salted boiling water for 20 seconds. Drain, remove the claws, and cut away the heads, just above the tails. Keep the juice, the roe, and creamy parts inside the head. Split the lobster heads in two lengthwise, and remove the sand sac.

Put the heads in a press and collect all the juice in the bowl, along with the roe and creamy parts. Liquefy these ingredients, filter through a fine-meshed chinois, and emulsify in a double-boiler to obtain a sauce the same consistency as Worcestershire sauce.

Just before serving, add a few drops of lemon juice, some olive oil, a pinch of Espelette pepper, and freshly ground pepper. Add salt as needed.

Put the lobster tails and claws on the grill and drizzle with olive oil. Allow 9 minutes’ cooking time for the tails and 11 for the claws, then shell. Remove the cartilage from the pincers. Split the tails in two lengthwise.

Step 2: Mushrooms and Potatoes

Wash the potatoes without peeling them. Melt the duck fat, add the bay leaf, thyme, and some salt. Pat the potatoes dry, add them to the pan, and stew gently on the edge of the range. Once cooked, cool in the fat, but remove before the fat sets. Cut into 1/5 inch (5 mm) thick slices.

Reduce the lobster stock with the thyme blossoms, and emulsify with fresh butter. It will be used to glaze the grilled potato slices.

Wash, dry and cut the chives into 1/5 inch (5 mm) long pieces.

Remove the dirty parts from the porcini mushroom stems, brush the mushroom under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Split in two lengthwise.

Grease the mushroom and potato slices with oil, and season with salt.

Place on the grill and mark in a criss-cross pattern on both sides. It will take a little longer for the mushrooms to cook through, since they are raw.

Remove when marked, and place on a stainless steel rack. Coat the potato slices with the emulsified lobster stock, and place 5 chive pieces on each.